I recently lended my backcountry water filter to my daughter for an upcoming camping trip. The filter company has a very appropriate name “First Need”.  No, no, no, contrary to popular belief your first need is not coffee.

We talk a lot about nutrition at Francis Chiropractic and one of the first issues people need to become aware of is the quality and quantity of the water they drink.

Water is actually your first need. You will easily perish from dehydration before starvation. Think about when scientists are looking for life on other planets, what is the first criteria they look for?

Water.

Water is actually part of your diet.  It makes up about 2/3 of your body which coincidentally is about the same percentage of water that covers the surface of the world. Just as water cleanses our outer body, is is vital in detoxing our inner body. If you are chronically dehydrated all the toxins are more concentrated.

When you first feel hunger, I tell folks to drink a glass of water. If the hunger goes away you actually were thirsty and this can decrease your appetite.

Helpful tips about water:

1. Drink enough to keep your urine clear.
2. If you need flavoring ad a slice of lemon, lime, or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
3. Adding Jake’s ginger juice has wonderful medicinal benefits as does adding some bolthouse pomegranate juice.  (Great for good gut microbes.)
4. Watch bottled water- some of that is actually just bottled in other cities municipal water treatment plants.
5. Well water in Wisconsin is extremely rich in minerals so drink it up. Especially high in Calcium and in a form that your body most readily uses.  Obviously get yours checked to make sure it is safe from any local toxins.
6. Drink a big glass of water 20 minutes before eating. It will hydrate you and fill you up.
7. While eating, just take in enough water to get food down. Less is better so not the dilute the digestive enzymes.
8. Immune system – think of it: drinking often lets you swallow microbes then your stomach acid kills them. Rinsing your nasal cavity with water flushes them out.
9. We will add flavored collagen to our water or bone broth for a multitude of health benefits.
10. Try not to drink water from plastic containers. The chemicals in the plastic are horrible for your hormonal system and help you add extra fat on you body.

I regularly add a dusting of calcium lactate powder and a dropper of phosfood to my water.  The CL adds the most usable calcium your body needs and is important for immune function, muscle relaxation, bone health, a calming agent and so much more. I use it to decrease the occurrence of canker sores! The phosfood helps balance the phosphorus to calcium ratio which helps arthritis and kidney stones.  It is really helpful for those stiff hands in the morning.

So cheers to your first need: water!